September Exams Pave Way for Continued Advancement

PENSACOLA, Fla. (NNS) -- The Navy announced guidance for the administration of the Cycle 220 September 2013 E4-E6 Advancement Exam via Naval Administrative Message (NAVADMIN) 116/13, released April 29.

The message outlines procedures and general examination information. Eligibility criteria, deadlines for commands to confirm eligibility lists, waiver application procedures and special requirements are also contained in the NAVADMIN.

Because of the Personnel Security Investigation (PSI) budget shortfall due to FY13 Continuing Resolution (CR) and sequestration, this cycle of exams will be different regarding security clearances. The NAVADMIN states that due to these budget shortfalls, Sailors with an expired or expiring security clearance are still considered to be in access and may participate in the exam cycle.

Commands pending deployment and deployed ships and Sailors who are unable to take the exams during the scheduled dates may order exams six months early. Educational Services Officers (ESOs) must follow procedures outlined in the message regarding missed examination cycles prior to Cycle 220.

For the first time in 13 years the examination answer sheet form has been updated. The new answer sheets reflect the newly-structured 175 question examination format and replaces the Social Security Number (SSN) with the Department of Defense Identification Number (DOD-ID). This new answer sheet will be green in color distinguishing it from the old red answer sheets. So far, nearly 500 new answer sheets have been sent to commands requesting early orders for Cycle 220.

Master Chief Cryptologic Technician Eddy Mejias, Naval Education and Training Professional Development Technology Center (NETPDTC) command master chief, says it is important for Sailors to take their careers into their own hands and ensure they use the resources produced by the Navy Advancement Center.

"The bibliographies published on Navy Advancement Center's Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) page provide each advancement candidate with the primary tools they will need to successfully master the content on cycle-specific exams," said Mejias. "We publish bibliographies directly from the questions used on an exam, so Sailors should have confidence in their exam preparation when they study all the material listed in their rating bibliography."

Examination results will be posted on the Navy Enlisted Advancement Systems (NEAS) website and may be accessed by ESOs and authorized viewers.

Additional information regarding this cycle will be posted on the NEAS website on the NPC Enlisted Career Admin webpage, http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/career/enlistedcareeradmin/pages/advancement.aspx.

For more information about the Naval Education and Training Command, visit the NETC website: https://www.netc.navy.mil.

For more news from Naval Education and Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/cnet/.